One of the oldest known surgical procedures, a tonsillectomy is an operation during which one or more portions of the palatine tonsils (“tonsils”) are removed. An adenoidectomy is a procedure during which one or more portions of the pharyngeal tonsils (“adenoids”) are removed. Tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies are usually performed to alleviate one or more symptoms that may be associated with infected or enlarged tonsils or adenoids, such as chronic sore throats, recurring strep throat, abscesses, upper airway obstructions, ear infections, bad breath, and sleep apnea. Tissue may be removed in one of many ways, such as cold dissection, electrocautery removal, laser removal, coblation, microdebriding, radiofrequency ablation, and harmonic scalpel dissection.
Tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies are very common, with over 800,000 procedures being performed each year in the United States. Despite the frequency of these procedures, as well as the varied means by which they are performed, tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies are still associated with a great deal of post-operative pain and discomfort. More specifically, there is usually a seven- to ten-day recovery period during which a patient may experience pain, discomfort, dehydration and weight loss. Additionally, there is an approximately 1-7% rate of post-operative hemorrhaging, as well as a risk of infection.
Little has been done to successfully reduce the pain or discomfort following a tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy. Generally, a physician will prescribe antibiotics and narcotics (e.g., acetaminophen, codeine) for post-operative pain. Oral administration of such antibiotics and narcotics may be undesirable, as swallowing may be extremely painful for a patient. Additionally, the amount of narcotic ingested may yield other undesirable side effects, such as drowsiness, dizziness, light-headedness, or other complications that result from the exposure of the entire body to the effects of the narcotic. Other post-operative treatment methods, including topical, intravenous, intralesional and oral administration of narcotics, non-steroidal ant-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), steroids, and/or local anesthetics have been minimally effective at reducing pain or discomfort. As such, it would be desirable to provide a more effective way of reducing pain or discomfort following a tonsil procedure (e.g., a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, or the like).